Shoe-sewing machine.



.No. 769,292. I PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. A. E. AYER.

. SHOE SEWING MACHINE. 7

APPLICATION IILBD D110. 4, 1901.

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ll zimssesr PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

A. E. AYER.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED D30. 4, 1901.

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H0 MODEL.

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' ZVZZmsses g 3 QLJK/M/ 1% av No. '769,292. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

v A. E. AYER.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 4, 1901. H0 MODEL,

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' UNITE STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT E. AYER, EAST BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LOOP LOCK MACHINE COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

SHOELSEWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,292, dated September 6, 1904.

Application filed December 4, 1901. Serial No. 84,645. (No model.)

. zen of the United States, and a resident of East disclosed in the pending application of Edwin E. Bean, filed August 9, 1901,Serial No.71,422, the special feature of said machine being to provide means which would enable the locking-loops to be drawn into or beneath the surface of the work. While the machine disclosed in said application will perform every function ascribed to it, yet the particular means for passing the locking-loop through the needle-loop and for forming sufficient slack locking-thread between the stitch which is being taken and the preceding stitch has not been found to be wholly satisfactory in practical use.

The object of the present invention is to simplify the means for carrying out the part .of the operation just mentioned and to produce a mechanism which is much less liable to get out of order than the mechanism disclosed in said application. I accomplish this object by providing the machine with a looping-finger which has an open hook in its end and is reciprocated past a stationary thread guide from which the locking-thread is drawn to the point where it is fastened to the work, the

path of said finger being such that the locking-thread is caught in the hook of said finger and a loop thereof is carried through the needlcloop, after which the take-up draws the' needle-loop about the inserted locking-loop fastened to the work to enable both loops to be drawn into the work.

For a more complete disclosure of my invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which' Figure-1 is a front and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the complete machine. Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive, are perspective views showing different positions of the stitch-forming mechanism during the process of taking the stitch. Fig. 9 is an enlarged cross-section of a series of stitches as they appear in the work and also showing a stitch which is about to be set. Figs. 10 and 11 are enlarged detail plan and side views, respectively, of the thread finger and guide. Figs. 12 to 15, inclusive, are en larged detail views of a modified form of thread-guide, Fig. 14 being a' cross-section on line m w of Fig. 13.

The main portion of the machine is precisely the same as thatdisclosed in said Bean application. The awl 1 and needle 2 are oscillated by the cams 3 and L and their intermediate levers 5 and 6, respectively. The arms 7 and thread-guide 8 coact to thread the needle, and the presser-foot 9 acts to hold the work against the work-support 10, as also described'in said application. The take-up arm 11 is swung by the crank-arm 12, which is oscillated by cam 13. The needle-thread 14 is passed about an ordinary tension-wheel 15, the spring-pressed supplemental roll 16, and the take-up roll 17 at the end of the arm 11. The thread then leads through thread-guide 8 to the needle. The sliding bracket 18, which carries the needle-shaft, is reciprocated by lever 19 and cam 20. The cast-ofi arm 21 is swung by lever 22 and cam 23.

A thread-guide 24, having a vertically-extending thread-passage 2&0, is secured to the frame'of the machine, so that it may be vertically adjusted thereon. The looping-finger 25 is adjustably secured in a substantially horizontal position to an arm 26, which is 'in turn adjustably secured in a socket 27. The camlever 28 carries said socket at its forward end and is pivoted by pintle 29 and oscillated by cam 30. The finger 25 is thereby practically reciprocated longitudinally, so that its path is'substantially perpendicular to the plane of the path of the needle and intersects said path, and is also perpendicular to the plane of the needle-loop as it is held by the needle after it has been drawn through the work. The end of said finger is tapered on one side and on the bottom to form a blunt point and is provided with a hook 31 on the other side, which is shaped similarly to an ordinary needle-hook and is open toward the point.

Assuming that a stitch has been taken, so

that the threads are fastened to the work, the

operation of the above-described mechanism is as follows: The awl punctures the work, and the needle follows the awl through the work as the awl retreats. The sliding bracket 18 is fed to the left as the thread is laid in the needle-hook, and the needle draws the loop down to the position shown in Fig. 6. The take-up arm is swung downwardly during this movement, giving off thread to the needle. The supplemental tension gives off any additional thread under a light tension which may be needed by the needle, so that the latter need not draw off thread from the tensionwheel 15 to enable it to be drawn through its loop to the fullest extent. The threadpassage 24:0 in the guide 24; is so arranged that the locking thread 35, which leads therethrough to the point where it is fastened to the work, will be drawn into such a position that as the looping-finger 25 is advanced toward the needle-loop the locking-thread will be caught in hook 31. As the finger 25 is advanced it will cross the path of the needle close to the point of the needle, as the needle holds its loop after having drawn it down to its fullest extent. The path of the finger is such that its tapered end passes inside the needle loop and close to the outer strand thereof, so that all possibility of the hook 31 catchingthe inner strand of the loop is avoided. Moreover, the hook 31 is filled with the locking-loop at the time the finger is passing through the needle-loop, which makes the danger of the hook in the end of the finger catching in the needle-loop very remote. As the finger 25 is advanced through the needleloop it will carry a loop of locking-thread therethrough and will at the same time draw the locking-thread taut from the point where it is fastened to the sole to the hook in the finger (see Fig. 7 and will also draw a certain amount thereof through the thread-passage 240 of the guide 24 from the supply. When the finger has advanced to its limit, the sliding bracket is moved to the right, casting off the needle-loop. The take-up then draws the needle-loop to and against the finger 25, as shown in Fig. 7, and then the finger is withdrawn from the needle-loop, leaving the locking-loop in the needle-loop, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The take-up continues to act and draws the bights of needle-loop completely into the sole until the the bights of both loops are completely buried in the needlehole. The distance between the linger 25 and the surface of the work is such that the length of locking-thread between the point where it is fastened to the work and the point at which it is grasped by the needle-loop is suilicient to enable the bights of the locking-thread to be completely drawn into the work without any slipping of the locking-loop in the ncedle-loop.

In Figs. 12 and 15 I have shown a modified form of guide for the locking-thread, which I prefer to use in lieu of the form of guide previously described for the reason that it is adapted to be engaged by the looping-linger. As shown in Figs. 12 to 15, the upper end of the fixed guide 24 is provided with a passage 32, which is of somewhat greater diame ter than that of the finger 25 and is arranged so that said finger may pass freely therethrough as it reciprocates. A threzul-slot 33 is formed in the upper end of said guide, which leads into said passage 32 and extends the entire length thereof. This slot is arranged above the guide-passage 3-l ol the guide, so that when the locking-thread is drawn through passage 34 and slot 33 it will be drawn into such a position as it crosses passage 32 that it will be caught in the middle of the hook 31 in the looping-finger as the finger is advanced through the passage 32. The locking-thread will therefore be always held in the same vertical or nearly vertical plane as it crosses the path of the lo ping finger irrespective of the transverse position of the work with respect to this path. The end of said thread-slot next the path of the needle diverges, as shown in Fig. 12, so that the locking-thread will be positively guided back into the slot as the loops are drawn into the work in position to be engaged by the looping-linger the next time it advances.

It will be apparent that if the amount of slack locking-thread which is provided between the point at which the needle-loop engages the lockingloop and the point where the locking-thread is fastened to the work is insufiicient to enable the loops to be drawn into the work it will simply be necessary to lower the looping-finger 25 and the guide 21, or if there is too much slack thread the parts will simply be raised. The distance which the needle draws its loop below the work must obviously be suificient to permit the passage of the finger past its point in any case. However, after the proper arrangements have been determined further adjustment will be unnecessary, for the amount of the slack locking-thread will vary directly with the variation in the length of the stitches.

The particular form of looping-linger shown is not wholly essential, it being essential only that the hook therein for catching the thread be open in the direction of the path of the finger, so that the locking-loop will not be drawn back through the needle-loop by the finger. ger tapering" toward its end from the point where it is engaged by the needle-loop, (see finger, means for moving the same longitudi-- nally through the needle-loop while it is held by the needle, said finger being provided with a hook which is open toward the end of the finger, a relatively stationary guide for the looking-thread having a guide-passage so arranged that as the locking-thread is drawn therethrough to the point where said threadis fastened to the work'it will be in position to be caught in said hook as the finger is ad-- vanced toward the needle-loop, whereby the finger will carry a loop of locking-thread through the needle-loop, means for drawing the needle-loop about the locking-loop and for withdrawing the finger from ,the needle.--

loop.

2. A shoe-sewing machine comprising a needle, means for causing the same to draw a loop of thread through the work, a loopingfinger, means for moving the same longitudinally through the needle-loop while it is held by the needle, said finger being provided with a hook which is open toward the end of the finger, a relatively stationary guide for the locking-thread having a guide-passage so arranged that as the locking-thread is drawn therethrough to the point where said thread is fastened to the work it will be in position to be caught in said hook as the finger is advanced toward the needle-loop, whereby the finger will carry a loop of locking-thread through the needle-loop, 'means for drawing the needle-loop up to and about said finger and then for withdrawing the finger therefrom, and means for drawing the interlocking loops into the Work.

3. A shoe-sewing machine comprising a work-support, a needle, means for causing the sameto draw a loop of thread through the work and past the face of said support successively, a looping-finger, means for passing the same through the needle-loop while it is held by the needle at the opposite side of the surface of the work-support from the work, said finger having a hook open toward By making the under side of the finthe end of the finger, a relatively stationary guide for the locking-thread having a guidepassage so arranged that as the locking-thread is drawn therethrough to the point where said thread is fastened to the work it will be inposition to be caught in said hook as the finger is advancedtoward the needle-loop, whereby the finger will carry a loop of locking-thread through the needle-loop, means for drawing the needle-loop about said finger and for withdrawing the latter therefrom and then for drawing the interlocking loops into the work.

4. A shoe-sewing machine comprising a needle, means for causing the same to draw a loop of thread throughthe work, a loopingfinger, means for moving thesame longitudinally'through the needle-loop while it is held by'the needle, saidfinger being provided with a hook which is' open toward the end of the finger, two relatively stationary guides betweenwhich the locking-thread is drawn, as it leads from the supply to the work, in position to be caught in said book as the finger is advanced toward the needle-loop, whereby the finger will carry a loop of looking-thread through the needle-loop, means for drawing loop.

the needle-loop about the locking-loop, and

for Withdrawingthe latter from the needle- 5. A shoe-sewing machine comprising a needle, means for causing the same to draw a loop of thread'through the work, a loopingfinger, means for moving the same longitudinally through the needle-loop while it is held by the needle, said finger being provided with -a hook which is open toward the end of the finger, 'a relatively stationary guide for the locking-thread having a passage through its upper end in line with the-path of said finger and of suificient size to permit the passage of the finger therethrough, a thread-eye in said guide which leads into said passage at the opposite side of said path from the work, a thread-slot which is open at the end next the needle and which leads into said passage from the side of said path next the work, whereby the locking-thread will be drawn across said passage as it leads from the supply to the work, in position to be caught by said hook as the finger is advanced toward'the needleloop, so that the finger will carry a loop of locking-thread through the needle-loop,

means for drawing the needle-loopaboutthe locking-loop, and for withdrawing the finger from the needle-loop.

IIO

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed my sig nature in presence of two witnesses.

, QALBERT E. AYER, Witnesses:

LoUIs H. I-IARRIMAN, G. E. UOKER.. 

